let’s read a book. or a bunch

Meet Calhoun Mooney. Cal is having an okay life – his father hasn’t been the same since Cal’s mother died, Cal’s girlfriend is pressing that whole “marriage” thing, and all of the homing pigeons in the back yard are completely freaking out. He doesn’t know it, but he’d better enjoy it, because he’s about to fall into a magic carpet and find out that his current life isn’t the one that he dreams of at all.

Welcome to the Fugue, a hidden world where the magic still lives and the countryside is beautiful. It’s been hidden in the carpet to keep the Scourge and its agents from completely destroying the land, but people are hot on its trail and when they find it the fight for the salvation of the Fugue begins.

*****

Clive Barker tends to be known for his horror works, but this is actually MOSTLY a work of fantasy. I say mostly because there are some definite “Barker-like” parts of this story. Not enough that I’d classify it as horror, per se, but I can’t really recommend it to people who are squeamish at all. So, Cole, you can’t read this one.

For everyone else, this is a pretty good story. The idea that the remnants of an entire world and its people are hidden in a carpet is pretty cool. And Barker has (as is to be expected) written some pretty interesting characters. Of course, it wouldn’t be a Barker story if they didn’t have some sort of powers – magic coat, some force that a few chosen can shoot from their mouths, etc ( note, these are not the same things. 😉 ) -but they all work pretty well within the definition of the character. It’s a long story with plenty of people in it, but never really feels like you can’t keep track of them.

I also think it has a pretty neat ending – but I try not to give those away. So, check it out if you like mostly fantasy with some overshades of horror. This is early Clive Barker, so if you’re a fan of his later work and haven’t checked this one out, you should. A bit of a warning though – this isn’t the longest book I’ve read recently, but it sure felt like it sometimes. He can be a bit long winded, but don’t let that stop you from enjoying a classic from a contemporary master.

A note: It looks like there are some versions of this that don’t have the whole story (maybe it was in 2 books, way back when?) Anyway, look for the longer one if you have a choice, that way you get everything you’re supposed to.

so, what’s going on here?

Ever wonder how many books you read in a year? Or, maybe, how many pages? How long do you think it will take to get to a million?
I'm going to find out!
Starting Jan 1, 2009, we'll see how long it takes.